Halien had smiled at his words, but it quickly faded when she felt a chill like they were being watched. She stood with a start, placing a hand on her sword. She scanned the area in front of her, as she had chosen another spot near the edge of the cliff. The hairs on the back of her neck stood on end. She called Thorin back, who sensing the urgency of her voice, quickly rejoined her.

"What is it?"

"There is something nearby. It feels as though we are being watched." Halien said, her eyes narrowed and her brow furrowed.

Thorin looked down when he heard the clink of metal and saw how tightly she was grasping her sword's hilt. For her to jump straight to her sword and not bother with her bow… that had him worried and Thorin sensed her anxiety, worry, and fear. He could see her shaking a little- a subtle but noticeable tremble to a skilled warrior- and he glanced around the area, but saw nothing. "Are you certain?"

Halien looked at him and nodded. "Never before have the hairs on my neck stood on end. Whatever is out there is dark and very dangerous; we have to be careful."

Thorin believed her. One thing he knew for sure of elves is that they had some of the best instincts of any in Middle Earth, always sensitive to the world around them. "Very well, we will double the watch tonight, and keep our guards up."

Halien nodded. "Would you like me to scout around the area?"

"We need everyone together and I want you to be safe, with the rest of us. We will need all of our most capable warriors here if something happens, but we do need to know if there is anything out there," he replied. "I will put Dwalin and Nori on first watch tonight. Scout around the surrounding forests, see if you can find a source for this feeling, then I invite you to join us at the fire so that we minimize any potential targets."

Halien nodded and went to the trees. The dwarves were clearly and visibly concerned when they saw her leave in such haste, seeing her hand at her sword and dagger as she left. Never before had they seen her reach for any weapon but her bow.

"Dwalin, Nori, you two are on the first watch. We are going to have double watches for tonight." Thorin instructed.

"Why, what's going on?" Fili asked.

"Nothing for now. Halien sensed something out there and I trust her instinct. We double the guard, just to be safe." Thorin explained, not going into too much detail.

The dwarves nodded, not wanting to question him.

As the night progressed, the watch shifts changed, Halien returned- nothing to report- and Thorin asked her to bring in their mounts closer to the fire to minimize risk. The young elf maiden did as he asked and then she joined him and the other dwarves around the fire. Thorin sat on the ground with his back against a fallen tree and he motioned for Halien to sit when she asked if she could join him. She told him of what she had found, having seen nothing that couldn't be accounted for. She described the feeling she still had to him, hoping he may understand. He had gotten the same feeling when he battled Azog the Defiler. He told her not to worry about it and to try and get some sleep.

Halien nodded and sat back with him, staring up at the moon as she tried to relax. She hummed a soft tune, one that was soothing. It seemed to relax the others as well, so she sang the song softly. It was a lullaby that her mother had sung for her as a babe and one that Tauriel had continued to sing for her after her mother was killed. Next to her, Thorin listened to the soothing notes she sang, her voice beautiful and strong. He watched her sing as she gazed into the fire as it danced back and forth, the embers crackling. The lullaby was doing its job, for Thorin closed his eyes and was soon fast asleep. Dwalin and Nori were relaxed, but they remained awake while they were on their watch.

When it was Fili and Kili's turn, Nori nudged Dwalin and pointed towards where Halien and Thorin slept. Halien had fallen asleep, somehow managing to lay against Thorin's chest with her hand just over his heart, with his arm wrapped around her. Dwalin looked at Thorin as he breathed deeply in his sleep, his head resting against the top of Halien's as she rested against his chest. While Nori went to wake Fili and Kili, Dwalin took a blanket from one of their packs laid them over the dwarf king and the elf maiden, covering them. He never would have thought that Thorin would find someone to make him happy and to carry on his line through another generation of Durin's sons, let alone that someone be an elf. Yet, through all the time the two had begun to spend with each other, it seemed that his king was finally going to be happy again and hoped that he had indeed found someone to share his life with. He was glad at the possibility of it being Halien, for she was a good lass, kind and strong, honorable and courageous, and could hold her own in battle. He went to his sleep roll and laid down as Fili and Kili rubbed their eyes and took the next watch.

Sometime in the night Thorin was awoken from a dream- or rather a nightmare- and looked around. He felt a weight at his chest and realized that he had been holding Halien in his arm as she slept against his chest. He sighed, not knowing what happened to have led to this point, but he was too tired to bother with it. He simply closed his eyes again and pulled the elf maiden in closer as he took comfort in her presence. He breathed in her scent, noticing that it was sweet like peaches and cherry blossoms, and found it soothing. Soon enough, the young dwarf king was asleep once more. The night was still young at that point, so there was plenty of time to sleep, but what none of the company knew was that the next few days would not be simple or safe.